Many forms of heavy equipment require failsafe brake systems in order to ensure safe operation. In general, failsafe brake systems include a plurality of springs which urge a disc assembly to clamp together, thereby applying a braking torque to a shaft. A piston opposes the spring force, and when pressure is supplied to the piston, the brake is released for normal operation. In this manner, if during operation, power is lost to the equipment, the springs clamp the disc assembly together preventing rotation of the shaft until power is restored.
In one particular application, the shaft which requires a failsafe brake is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation, such as is found in drilling operations. In these applications, prior art, failsafe brakes perform poorly. Specifically, gravity causes the disc assembly to clamp together when the brake is supposed to be released. While the forces of gravity do not create enough clamping force to stop shaft movement altogether, the gravitational clamping of the disc assembly causes unwanted heat and friction and leads to premature brake failure.
In view of these problems, it is evident that the need exists for a vertical mount fail-safe brake which provides a means of separating the disc assembly while in an unactuated state.